Identified wrench adaptor

ABSTRACT

Adaptors for use with conventional socket wrenches to convert U.S. inch dimensions to metric dimensions are identified to readily establish the specific metric sized nut or bolt which a specific U.S. inch sized wrench is designed to apply torque to with the accommodation of the adaptor. The adaptor comprises a band of material conforming to the socket nut wrench or bolt torquing surfaces on its outside surfaces and conforming to a smaller metric bolt or nut wrenching surface on its inside surfaces. The adaptor material is of sufficient compressive strength to transmit normal wrenching torque forces between the inside surfaces of the socket wrench and the nut or bolt wrenching surfaces without permanent deformation of the adaptor. The adaptor thickness is designed to adapt one particular socket wrench size to accommodate one particular smaller size metric nut or bolt.

Primary Examiner-A1 Lawrence Smith Assistant Examiner-James G. SmithAttorney, Agent, or FirmChar1es T. Silberberg Elnrted States Patent 1[11] 3,

@lemens Nov. 4, 1975 1 IDENTIFIED WRENCH ADAPTOR [57] ABSTRACT [76]Inventor: James D. Clemens, 13967 Marquesas Way, BOX Marina del Adaptorsfor use with conventional socket wrenches y Callf- 90291 to convert U.S.inch dimensions to metric dimensions [22] Filed; Aug 26 1974 areidentified to readily establish the specific metric I sized nut or boltwhich a specific U.S. inch sized 1 1 pp N05 500,072 wrench is designedto apply torque to with the accom- Related Us. Application Data modationof the adaptor. The adaptor comprises a [63] C f s N 415 140 N 12 bandof material conforming to the socket nut wrench gf g rgga ggg 0 or bolttorquing surfaces on its outside surfaces and conforming to a smallermetric bolt or nut wrenching [52] Us. CL 81/185, 81/DIG 81 /DIG 11surface on its inside surfaces. The adaptor material is 51 Int. (31.31111: Zn/B253 13/58 Sufficient COmPreSsive Strength to transmit Omal 8S u l wrenching torque forces between the inside surfaces [5 Fleld of ch81/185 DIG DIG 11 of the socket wrench and the nut or bolt wrenching[56] References Cited surfaces without permanent deformation of theadaptor. The adaptor thickness is designed to adapt one UNITED STATESPATENTS particular socket Wrench size to accommodate one 300,717 6/1884Merrick 81/D1G. 5 X particular maller size metric nut 01' bolt.

63,331 5/1887 Hammer 8l/DIG. 5 X

3,027,790 4/1962 Wagner 81/185 X 3,029,673 4/1962 Godsey 81/185 4Claims, 3 Drawing Figures III III .II'-' gwnuln'gmnn" IDENTIFIED WRENCHADAPTOR CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 415,140 filed Nov. 12,1973, now abandoned for a wrench adaptor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to making standardsocket, box end, and open end wrenches with United States fractionalinch measurements readily usable to apply torque to smaller metric nutsor bolts.

A change to the metric measurement system in the United States, and theintroduction of foreign machinery using metric fasteners in the UnitedStates makes the availability of an efficient method for adapting UnitedStates inch measurement wrenches to metric fasteners very desirable.

Many methods to adopt socket wrenches and other fixed size wrenches toapply the wrenching torque to smaller sized nuts or bolts have beendesigned, but have not been put into general use due to lack ofefficiency. A problem with these former wrench adaptors is that normalwrench manufacturing tolerances were provided for by such methods asspring forces in the adaptor. This results in great difficulty inreadily determining the particular size application of the adaptor asthe effective diameters cannot be measured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the presentinvention to provide an efficient, practical, versatile, and inexpensiveadaptor which is readily usable in application to either a bolthead ornut or the wrench itself.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adaptor toadapt a wrench to a different size nut or bolt which can be readily andaccurately selected for a specific application.

Briefly, in accordance with the invention, there is provided an adaptorfor nuts, bolts, wrenches and the like that is a single piece,split-ring type, which is resiliently formed with a combination of outerand inner periphery patterns to fit the wrench torquing surface andmembers to be turned respectively and identified to indicate itseffective outer and inner diameters for ready application.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anadaptor according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view ofthe adaptor of FIG. 1 positioned in aconventional socket wrench;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view in the direction of arrows 3-3 of the adaptorof FIG. 2 as positioned in the socket wrench.

While the invention will be described in connection with the preferredembodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit theinvention to those embodiments. On the contrary. it is intended to coverall alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring first to FIG. 1, thereis shown a preferred form of the present invention, wherein a wrenchadaptor is generally indicated at I. The adaptor l is made of a materialof sufficient hardness to withstand normal wrenching forces withoutcompressive deformation when used with the correct size conventionalwrench. Cold rolled steel is one such suitable materialv The adaptormaterial thickness is selected to produce a modified wrench torquingsurface 10 (FIG. 3) smaller than the conventional fixed wrench torquingsurface so that a fixed wrench width can be adapted to fit a desired nutor bolt size. When adapting United States fractional inch wrench sizesto the smaller metric hexagonal nut and bolt sizes. the following tablelists the most efficient conversions:

U. S. Socket Wrcnch Size (inches) Metric Hexagonal Nut & Bolt Size(millinictcrs) The adaptor length 20 is selected to fit the adaptor l toa socket wrench 21 as shown in FIG. 2 or to fit the adaptor l to applyto a bolt or nut for use with an open end or other wrench. The adaptorshape is made to conform to the bolt or nut shape which would begenerally hexagonal as shown. Other shapes such as square or triangularcould also be used when applicable.

The adaptor l is preferably made with a gap 22 in one side as shown. Thegap 22 allows deformation of the basic adaptor shape to produce a springload against the conventional socket internal wrenching surfaces, oragainst the outer wrenching surface of a bolt or nut, to provide tensionfor adaptor 1 against inadvertent separation from the socket wrench, orthe nut or bolt.

Due to gap 22 which provides the retaining spring force, the adaptor 1when not inserted into the socket 21 will be expanded to a dimensionlarger than the socket wrench dimension 15, thereby making the intendedsocket size into which the adaptor is designed to be insertedundeterminable by simple measurement of the adaptor 1. Additionally, theadaptor thickness must allow for the normal socket wrench dimensionalvariations and still accommodate the intended nut or bolt with allowancefor the dimensional variation in the nut or bolt. This makes theintended nut or bolt size undeterminable by simple measurement of theadaptor thickness. To overcome these problems, the particular wrenchsize 30 and nut or bolt size 32 which the adaptor is designed toaccommodate are stamped or other- 3 wise legibly marked on preferablyadjacent outside surfaces of the adaptor 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,the adaptor l is shown as it would be marked when designed to adapt ainch fixed dimension socket wrench for application to a l7 millimeternut or bolt.

Thus. it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with theinvention. an identified wrench adaptor that fully satisfies theobjects. aims. and advantages set forth above. While the invention hasbeen described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof. it isevident that many alternatives. modifications. and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly. it is intended'toembrace all such alternatives. modifications. and variations as fallwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. A wrench size-reducing adaptor for reducing the torquing surface ofawrench to make the wrench effective to apply torque to a member to beturned which has a wrenching surface that is normally too small to beturned by the wrench comprising:

a resilient. single-piece. split-ring formed with a thickness definingouter and inner periphery patterns to fit a specific size wrench and aspecific size member to be turned respectively, said split ring beingformed, so as to tend to expand outwardly with force against the innerperiphery of an oversized wrench when the adaptor is forced into saidwrench to hold it securely therein. and

means affixed to said ring identifying the specific sizes of said outerand inner periphery patterns of said ring.

2. Apparatus as set out in claim 1 wherein the specific sizes of saidouter and inner periphery patterns are the same as the specific sizes ofthe wrench and member to be turned respectively and said identifyingmeans is affixed to said ring with the specific sizes of the wrench andmember to be turned located on adja cent portions of the adaptor wherebythe particular application of the adaptor is readily determinable.

3. Apparatus as set out in claim 2 wherein the outer periphery of saidring corresponds to a specific wrench size in inches and the innerperiphery of said ring corresponds to a specific metric size of a memberto be turned.

4. Apparatus as set out in claim 3 wherein said identifying meansincludes the size of the wrench in inches and the size of the member tobe turned in millimeters.

1. A wrench size-reducing adaptor for reducing the torquing surface of awrench to make the wrench effective to apply torque to a member to beturned which has a wrenching surface that is normally too small to beturned by the wrench comprising: a resilient, single-piece, split-ringformed with a thickness defining outer and inner periphery patterns tofit a specific size wrench and a specific size member to be turnedrespectively, said split ring being formed so as to tend to expandoutwardly with force against the inner periphery of an oversized wrenchwhen the adaptor is forced into said wrench to hold it securely therein,and means affixed to said ring identifying the specific sizes of saidouter and inner periphery patterns of said ring.
 2. Apparatus as set outin claim 1 wherein the specific sizes of said outer and inner peripherypatterns are the same as the specific sizes of the wrench and member tobe turned respectively and said identifying means is affixed to saidring with the specific sizes of the wrench and member to be turnedlocated on adjacent portions of the adaptor whereby the particularapplication of the adaptor is readily determinable.
 3. Apparatus as setout in claim 2 wherein the outer periphery of said ring corresponds to aspecific wrench size in inches and the inner periphery of said ringcorresponds to a specific metric size of a member to be turned. 4.Apparatus as set out in claim 3 wherein said identifying means includesthe size of the wrench in inches and the size of the member to be turnedin millimeters.